Regret
by Moogle Princess
Summary: The end of the world is rapidly approaching and Yuffie and Vincent sit waiting for it on a hill. They discuss life and death and things they might never know. Then, Yuffie asks Vincent for one last favor.


Cold. A snowflake on the tip of her nose. She wrinkled her nose, relieved that she could do so. Above her was a sky as grey as the eyes that now studied it. She blinked several times to clear her blurry vision. The fight was over and she was still alive.

Yuffie Kisaragi allowed herself a moment of relief. She had really not wanted to die at the age of sixteen. Until Aeris's death, she had really never considered it. Yuffie was no stranger to death. The Wutai War had shown her more death than a child should have ever seen. The death of her mother still hurt, but it was a source of strength for her. If her mother was watching her from the Lifestream or wherever she was, she had to constantly be at her best.

Aeris's death had hit her in a different way. It hurt, it was devastating. It had rocked their whole team. For the first time since she had fallen in with Avalanche, Yuffie was really scared. For some reason, she had developed this feeling of immunity. Nothing could possibly happen to them if they were all together. Then, Aeris was gone - dead at the end of Sephiroth's sword. Death was suddenly a real possibility. No one was safe.

Now, with Sephiroth gone, she hoped to find some safety in the world. She closed her eyes and took a quick inventory of her body. She was pleasantly surprised. She had some bumps and bruises, but nothing was broken or missing. Of course, she would be in a serious amount of pain in the morning, but she still had a morning to wake up to.

Or so she hoped...

Her eyes popped open and she looked towards the south. Meteor still hung low in the sky. Sephiroth's defeat had not reversed the spell. That propelled her into action. A quick survey of the area showed that she was alone in the snow. Yuffie had to find someone else who knew what happened before she went unconscious.

It did not take long. Over the next hill, she found Vincent curled on his side. She dropped down beside him and carefully moved him onto his back. He was breathing and his pulse seemed steady. Yuffie smiled wryly, she only needed to wake him.

"Come on Prince Charming!" She said chipperly as she shook his shoulder, "No time to nap. Judgment Day is on us. I know I wouldn't want to sleep through the Apocalypse!"

His eyes flew open, the red irises flicking back and forth wildly. Yuffie put a hand against Vincent's chest as he tried to scramble up, "Easy there. Make sure nothing's broken before you try getting up."

Yuffie was mildly surprised when Vincent paused a moment before sitting up more slowly. She helped him to his feet, "So far it's me and you. I haven't seen anyone else yet."

Vincent scanned the area around them, "Sephiroth?"

"We got him... I think." Yuffie shrugged sheepishly, "I know he was nearly dead... the last thing I remember. I was knocked out before the fight ended."

Vincent looked back to her, "As did I. Meteor?"

Yuffie pointed towards the southern sky, "Coming right for us."

They both looked at the blinding redness that was slowly devouring the grey sky. Vincent looked away first, "We should keep moving. The others may still need us."

Yuffie fell into step beside him. They went silently, searching for their lost teammates. After a fairly thorough search of the area, Vincent and Yuffie decided that the other six members of their sorted group were nowhere nearby. Both feared the worst, but neither would say it out loud. Meteor was still approaching and if their teammates were dead, they would soon be joining them anyway.

At the top of a fairly tall hill, Yuffie reached out and caught Vincent's arm, "Hey Vincent, let's take a break."

Vincent frowned slightly, "Now?"

"Sure!" Yuffie replied cheerfully, as she pulled out her sleeping bag to sit on, "I figure... well... there will be plenty of time to find the others... if we make it past the next ten minutes."

Yuffie pulled her bedroll off the top of her pack and spread it out to sit on. With a grin she looked up and patted the spot beside her. After a slight pause, Vincent joined her. They had a pretty good view of the land below them. If any of the others were looking for them, he would see them from here.

Vincent noticed Yuffie's eyes trained on Meteor. For a moment he pitied her. She was so young, too young to lose her life. Around the planet, he knew there were girls her age who were probably crying and panicking over the imminent end of the world. Yet, Yuffie sat beside him facing the possible end of her life with an air of peace and calm around her. Vincent could not help but be impressed by her bravery.

"Hey Vincent?" Yuffie asked quietly, "You... uh... regret anything?"

There was much more in that question than what was asked. When she turned her sad grey eyes on him, Vincent knew she had meant more than she said. After a long moment of thought, Vincent replied, "If I had I all to repeat, I doubt I would be able to change a single moment."

He saw Yuffie smile at that and wondered why. Vincent turned to face her, "And yourself?"

Yuffie did not look at him, "Some I guess... mostly things I'd leave undone. With Shinra gone, I could've turned Wutai around, you know? There's so much tradition and history in that place. I would have liked to restore it.

"You know, I had even gotten used to the idea of ruling the country." A wry smile touched Yuffie's lips, "Dad would have stepped down for me the moment I got back. It would still be years before I could really take over, but it would happen."

She lay back on the sleeping bag, forcing Vincent to turn back and look at her, "You know, I'd probably be married by the time I was twenty. Dad was choosing suitors for me when I took this trip. I guess that'll be one of my biggest regrets..."

"Not marrying?" Vincent asked. He had never taken her for being such a traditionalist.

Yuffie chuckled at how perplexed he sounded, "Nah. Marriage isn't the important part. I meant love. I've never been in love or had someone love me... well except my parents... but that's different. Anyway, it would have been nice to know the feeling... hell, I've never even been kissed before.

"You know, even as tragic and bizarre as things were with you and that scientist chick, I find myself a little jealous of her." Yuffie looked up at him and smirked, "For all your hang ups and weird habits, you're a good guy, Vincent. You were obviously devoted to her. If I found someone with one-tenth of your passion, I'd never let him escape."

A tiny smile tugged at Vincent's lips under his cape. The ninja girl was deeper than any of them had given her credit for. They shared a look and he saw a small smile on her face as well. He murmured, "Thank you."

Yuffie shrugged, "It's only the truth... and what am I if not truthful! Right?"

The cheerful, peppy girl returned with a vengeance. She laughed at her own bad joke and chattered at him a bit. Vincent knew there was something else, something she was not saying. After a few minutes, she grew quiet again. When she began to speak again, she did it without looking at him, "Can I ask you for something, Vincent?"

Vincent arched an eyebrow slightly as he regarded his companion. She was obviously nervous, but covering it well. He had noticed many things about his teammates as he sat observing them. When Aeris spoke, especially if she felt passionately about her topic, she used her whole body. She would bounce on her toes, gesture wildly with her hands, and even flick her long braid to make a point.

During long planning sessions, Barret's eyes would go vague. For several long minutes he would stop paying attention. Vincent assumed he was thinking of Marlene, who Tifa had informed him was Barret's adopted daughter. Once he caught himself daydreaming, he would make a loud comment on whatever the next person said.

Yuffie chewed on her lower lip when she was worried about something. Vincent had caught in several large lies that way, once he figured it out. She could be the picture of calm, but if he noticed her straight, white teeth tugging on her lip, he knew something was up.

Sitting beside him, staring straight ahead, Yuffie was worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Vincent sighed. He could hardly deny her something, given the circumstances.

"You may ask." Vincent replied, stretching his long legs out before him, "If I am able to comply, I will."

"It's-" Yuffie blew out a nervous breath, looking over at Vincent again finally, "Well, it's not a request I would make normally. It's just... realistically speaking we're probably gonna die here. We might have been able to stop Sephiroth, but what could the eight of us really do about a giant meteor, you know?"

When Vincent did not respond to what he assumed was a rhetorical question, Yuffie kept talking, "I'm gonna die a virgin, which pretty much sucks. I mean... I've got a right to be curious to know what sex is like, don't I? Anyway, I don't wanna die completely clueless... and you're here... and male-"

Vincent had listened to Yuffie's nervous rambling both amused and surprised by what she had the nerve to say, but as she continued he doubted he would be able to fulfill her request, "Yuffie..."

"Don't worry. I'm not asking you to screw my brains out here on the snow or anything." She paused a moment to consider what she had just said and then frowned, "Way too cold for that. I just... I mean... just a kiss."

"A kiss." Vincent repeated.

"Well yeah." Yuffie shrugged, watching him intently, "Look, I'm not a little girl who will become infatuated over you because of one little kiss. I'm next in line to be Empress of Wutai or I'm about to be squished flat. Either way I'm not gonna have the luxury of choice when it comes to love."

Yuffie closed her eyes and grew quiet for a moment. It was the closest Vincent could remember to her looking defeated. In that moment he understood her more than he thought possible. They were not so different. Of course there were many glaring differences, but there was a similarity he had not expected. He found solace in battle because he doubted he would be able to find it again in another's arms. She loved the thrill of battle because her future marriage might be without love.

"Come on, Vincent." Yuffie said softly, "You've got your past and I've got my future... whatever it is. I just don't want to die without ever being kissed. So kiss me. Lame request, but there it is."

"I will not cry if he says no." Yuffie mentally steeled herself for his rejection, "I will shrug and laugh at myself. Then, I will merrily wait for the world to end."

The feel of Vincent's lips on hers caught her completely off guard. She stiffened in surprise and just as quickly relaxed again. His flesh hand came up to cup her cheek and she reveled in the smoothness of his leather glove. That is how she imagined his skin to feel, smooth and cool to the touch. She was pleasantly surprised by how warm he was as her hand slid around the back of his neck under his hair.

Later, Yuffie knew she would grin at the fact that Vincent's hair was as soft as it looked. She would be amazed by the fact that she did not breathe on him or do something equally as bizarre. She would always remember the strange sense of loss she felt as his thumb glided across her cheek, because she knew that meant it was over.

Vincent drew back away from Yuffie, his hand dropping away from her cheek. Her grey eyes opened slowly, a look of awe and wonder coming into them. She did not move and barely seemed to breathe.

"Whoa..." Yuffie murmured, "Vincent..."

The tiniest of smiles touched his lips. When he was a Turk and before he knew Lucrecia, he had put a similar look on the faces of several secretaries. A small, vain part of him was pleased that he had not lost his touch.

"It's like... fireworks." Yuffie breathed, she blinked a few times before smiling, "Vincent?"

When he did not respond, Yuffie moved her hand from the back of his neck to his chin. She turned his face until he could see the sky behind them. Blue-green streams of light burst from within the planet. They crossed and combined as they flew through the sky, hurling themselves at Meteor.

The light from the collision was nearly blinding. Once it cleared, Meteor was gone. Both Vincent and Yuffie sighed in relief. Vincent turned back to look at Yuffie, feeling embarrassed for the first time in years. Yuffie's awe had been for the display behind them not from feelings he had caused.

Yuffie smiled at him, "I guess it was the ninth person that made the difference."

Vincent frowned slightly, causing Yuffie to laugh. She answered his unvoiced question, "Aeris. You know she was the one who just caused that. I guess... I guess that her sacrifice was necessary."

"That does not mean that it..." Vincent smirked slightly, "sucked any less."

Hearing something so undignified come from Vincent's mouth sent Yuffie into a wild peal of giggles, "That's just how I would have put it!"

A familiar low rumbling noise filled the air. Yuffie's eyes lit up when the Highwind came into view. She never thought she would be so glad to see the hulking machine that caused her so much embarrassment and discomfort. When it started to turn away, Yuffie scrambled to her feet.

Vincent stood a bit more gracefully, "We need to get their attention."

Yuffie scooped her Conformer up from the ground and held it out in front of her. A green materia glowed briefly before a third level fire spell exploded above their heads. The Highwind swung hard to the right and came back around. Yuffie let out a cry of joy and began to jump up and down, waving her weapon in the air.

She stopped and nudged Vincent with a wide grin, "I'd say that did the trick, huh? Let's go meet them!"

Quickly she folded her bedroll and shouldered her pack. Vincent waited until she was ready and then went to move past her. Yuffie reached out and caught his gauntlet, "Vincent, thank you."

"It was nothing." Vincent replied, nodding to her. His face had returned to a cool, blank mask.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, "It was... well... it definitely wasn't 'nothing'."

She winked at him cheekily and started walking. Vincent fell into step beside her as they walked forward to meet their teammates on the Highwind.


End file.
